[Ty Vil]

First realize that perception/details of my workplace are a main part of my job description.

It never ceases to amaze me looking through this forum that in 2007 you can buy a car costing 40-50K (or more) car and to advertise the local dealers are still using plastic license plate frames with their Center's name on them.

I think the plastic frames just look terribly tacky and cheap and I'd be embarrassed if we put plastic license plate frames on our cars for delivery. I'm sure the metal frames that we (and our cross town competition) use are significantly more expensive than the cheapo plastic ones but I bet that a much higher percentage of them stay on the clients cars than end up in the trash.

Just an observation.

Thoughts/opinions???

[astra]

i think you are absoloutely right...

we don't have these dealer plates on our cars like you guys have in the usa, but i have seen the pictures, and agree that they don't look all that great

this is how our dealers do it, just a small ad at the bottom of the frame

[danimal]

I ditched mine...it probably was plastic but don't remember.

-Dan

[LEDZEP]

My dealer uses no frame at all. If you don't like the one they give you just get a new one and ditch it. No need to complain about the dealer being cheap.

[darkcloud]

Oh man my dealer is by far the worst of the 3 BMW dealers in the area. First they disgrace the trunk with a ugly badge on the opposite side from the numbers with , "GANLEY" in bright silver. Then they put a disgusting thick black license plate bracket with "GANLEY BMW" on the back. It's the same format for all the other Ganley chain dealers they just change the brand's name. I think BMW is the highest ranking dealer in the Ganley family, but they still get the cheap ass treatment of Kia.

The other dealerships in the area use nice silver metal brackets displaying their name and don't even dare to try to badge the trunk. That's the way it should be done. So Ganley BMW of Cleveland, OH if you're listening, spends some money on your license plate brakets and ditch trying to badge the trunk. 95% of the people refuse your trunk badge anyways so why even try? I declined both marketing ploys, which doesn't bother me, but the least they could do is match what the other 2 dealers are offering. I see a heck of a lot more "BMWCleveland" and "Classic BMW" cars with plate brackets then I do of Ganley's plate or trunk badges combined.

[Ty Vil]

Yea the trunk badges or stickers are a whole level worse than cheap frames.

[e92miami]

I think plate frames in general are tacky, mainly the ones that say the company name of the car. Like BMW or LEXUS......we know the car you don't need a silver or gold frame telling everyone again. As far as dealers go, who cares what they use who keeps them on to advertise anyway. All I want is good service & prices from the dealer that what matters.

[jrod1014]

The only dealers I've found to put nice albeit advertising metal frames on around here are Sanfer Sports Cars and Palmetto Sports Cars (in Miami)... My dealer put on one of the alleged "cheap" plastic frames as well as badging the car. As soon as I stopped the car, I peeled the badge off and as for the frame... I purchased a metal ///M frame from the same dealer. The only thing that irks me is the additional badging...

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by jrod1014

The only dealers I've found to put nice albeit advertising metal frames on around here are Sanfer Sports Cars and Palmetto Sports Cars (in Miami)... My dealer put on one of the alleged "cheap" plastic frames as well as badging the car. As soon as I stopped the car, I peeled the badge off and as for the frame... I purchased a metal ///M frame from the same dealer. The only thing that irks me is the additional badging...

So you put a ///M frame on a non-///M car, you're just as bad as the tacky plastic frames and badged trunks. Why not get the plastic ///M badge for the trunk so you car can read "///M335i", oh and get a "Turbo" badge to to complete the trunk.

[jrod1014]

Originally Posted by darkcloud

So you put a ///M frame on a non-///M car, you're just as bad as the tacky plastic frames and badged trunks. Why not get the plastic ///M badge for the trunk so you car can read "///M335i", oh and get a "Turbo" badge to to complete the trunk.

I guess you're trying to be the forum jester.

I got the same reaction from the local Nissan guys (a group of people I hang out with because of my Nissan past) never mind the fact that they all had/have Nismo plates and other Nismo knick knacks despite having not ONE Nismo related modification or it being a Nismo 350z. They quickly ate their words...

As for me, I just have a plate bracket that has the three colors and the M on it... Overall M badging on my car is less than approximately one square inch. By your reasoning, people with the M steering wheel, M knob and any other M accessory are tacky as they do not own the true M vehicle. Give me a break... How literal are you going to get about some of these things... Are you going to hate on those that customize their car with a German tag despite it being completely and utterly pointless as most of us to not live in Europe, let alone Germany?

As you know, every car manufacturer has a 'tuner' line that some people like to work their car towards, be it looks or performance. I'm not one of those and I don't find my plate bracket as tacky or intrusive as the topic of this thread...


Is it really that tacky?

[toolfan]

I dont mind the frames. One thing that bothers me about carmax is that they put their decal on every car. That would piss me off.

[jetblk328i]

you are right my dealer is pretty annoying they have a black thign that says mechanicsburg Pa on the top and sun motor cars on the bottom with 2 small roundels around them
then on the trunk they have a sun motor cars sticker

[OC Guy]

Irvine BMW uses some pretty clean Chrome Plates that say Irvine BMW on the bottom. Someone will post the picture up soon, I'm sure. I forgot what Sterling BMW uses, I'll know soon though.

[Revlis]

I figure if they put a decent frame on there, and the treated me right, it says something that the license plate frame is still there, and I don't plan on eliminating it.

I had a great time buying my car, BMW Seattle made it a great experience! They earned some advertising...

[06330i]

yeah mine came with one of those crappy plastic ones so i spent $30 i think for a nice one that says bmw and is chrome

[ward]

Originally Posted by jrod1014

Is it really that tacky?

yeah, that's worse than me putting a 335 plate frame on my 325


M has nothing to do with your car, really that might as well be a type R badge or AMG badge

really the only classy plate frames are small and simple black with no lettering or badging

[jrod1014]

Originally Posted by ward

yeah, that's worse than me putting a 335 plate frame on my 325


M has nothing to do with your car, really that might as well be a type R badge or AMG badge

really the only classy plate frames are small and simple black with no lettering or badging

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion but c'mon, as bad as cross badging?... How do you feel about the M steering wheel and shift knob in a non-M BMW? Or "S-Line" A4s (nothing more than an aesthetic package from the factory)...

[oldaccount]

holy fucking shit. does this thread actually exist?

yea...dealers should really start handing out diamond encrusted platinum license plate frames imo. i would say white gold, but BMWs are just waaaay too exclusive and classy for that shit

[jrod1014]

Originally Posted by Suareezay

holy fucking shit. does this thread actually exist?

yea...dealers should really start handing out diamond encrusted platinum license plate frames imo. i would say white gold, but BMWs are just waaaay too exclusive and classy for that shit

I agree to a certain extent... I don't think they're obligated to give you a nice plate frame any more than nice stem caps...

The other part of this thread I agree with is the fact that some dealers will turn your car into a mobile billboard. I've seen some bad ones from CarMax, Maroone and others...

[ezatnova]

Originally Posted by jrod1014

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion but c'mon, as bad as cross badging?... How do you feel about the M steering wheel and shift knob in a non-M BMW? Or "S-Line" A4s...

Well, let's see...adding an M wheel or shift knob would actually constitute an real performance part that helps the car be even better. A license plate frame for a different car model is just...retahded.

[jrod1014]

Originally Posted by ezatnova

Well, let's see...adding an M wheel or shift knob would actually constitute an real performance part that helps the car be even better. A license plate frame for a different car model is just...retahded.

The knob and the wheel are debatable as "performance" modifications because what works for me doesn't necessarily work for you (in terms of functionality/practicality)... Both do not offer significant gains in performance and could therefore be thrown into the "poser" pool of modifications...

They make the M brackets for specific models, a la M3, 5, 6... I just got the plain M... I feel it is nothing more than an aesthetic piece of hardware that doesn't convey anything the car is not. The sport line for BMW is M, Audi is S, Merc Benz is AMG and so on... Whatever, I guess I'm just a tacky poser... Flame on...

[shragon]

the bmw dealers around here use plastic frames, but have some type of fake chrome coating to make them look metal.

anyway, they went into the trash a few days after i got the car.